Memes & Trending stories can boost engagement, engagement is a key metric for digital publishers. As such, Memes & Trending stories are a way for publishers to attract consumers to content they’d otherwise skip, or to generate fresh, creative content.
Remember that what we’re talking about here is brands that sell specific products. Brand managers are hungry for ideas and content on a particular topic, or are looking to bolster their corporate image. Sometimes, the content is positive, sometimes it’s nasty.
For example, the mobile game, Empire, is a violent simulation of fighting in the Napoleonic wars. That’s a topic that just about everyone can agree on.
“I find that making a realistic simulation that deals with a little bit of the art of war is pretty exciting, it’s not something that everyone would consider a meme, but they seem to like it,” says Stephen Munroe, the creative director of Empire.
Spending up to $100 per day
The idea for Empire originally came from Adi Kohen, the game’s creator and lead designer, a year ago. “Every day I spend maybe $50 on this game, and I don’t just play it, I engage with it,” says Kohen.
“I read what people say, I watch funny videos, I am very much engaged in the conversation around it. It’s nice to see that other people also are taking interest in the game and are talking about it.”
As you can see from the graphics in the screenshots above, Memes & Trending stories, or ads that are related to a trend, can make ads for mobile games look a little more exciting.
But even if the ads aren’t explicitly targeting people looking to find memes on Facebook, chances are that they will ultimately drive traffic to content from the brands and marketers that sell those products.
For example, ad groups allow companies like Coca Cola, which are not looking to have their own branded content in the Memes & Trending stories, to advertise to their customers.
